Are skill gems actually "Virtue Gems"?

I'm having a hard time understanding the lore of this game. Both Maligaro and Malachai experimented with "Virtue Gems", with the latter succeeding in creating a "Gemling Legion". Piety tried to do the same but ended up with indescribable horrors instead (as seen in the Lunaris Temple).

But the player character never comes across a "Virtue Gem" in the game. The closest things would be the ubiquitous skill gems.